MONTREAL -- Despite some controversy, two auctions have raked in almost $2 million that will go towards scholarships and bursaries for students at the English Montreal School Board.
An incredible collection of paintings according to fine arts experts, the works – by Canadian icons Robert Pilon and A.Y. Jackson to name a few – were housed at the EMSB for decades.
“Most of these works are in museums. They are high-quality museum pieces, so it's extremely rare to find them on the market. And most of the works had never been offered on the market before,” said Tania Poggione of Heffel Fine Art auction house, which organized the first auction in Vancouver.
The second auction was held online, and together they raised $1.8 million, all from art that was owned by the Protestant School Board Cultural Heritage Foundation.
“Rather than having the paintings sitting on the walls, at least they have produced a sufficient number of dollars for us to be able to offer scholarships to a large number of youngsters,” said EMSB commission and foundation member Syd Wise.
The foundation has faced criticism for selling an integral part of Quebec and Canadian culture, but members said it was the right decision to sell the paintings off.
“Nobody ever saw them,” said EMSB commissioner Bernie Praw. “We're talking about A.Y. Jacksons, (Anne) Savage, and so on. Let people see them now in art galleries and dealers and so on.”
The majority of the paintings were sold to private collectors, however.
“Some… didn't sell. There are a few around the building that didn't sell. We also gave away quite a few lithographs to the museum of fine arts,” said Praw.
So even though most of the walls at the EMSB are now bare, the hope is that members of the EMSB community will benefit in a more practical way – through scholarships and bursaries for students.
The goal is to have the money invested in the next two months, so that students can be awarded those scholarships and bursaries for the 2014 academic year.
